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UNIVERSITY TO HOST A WEEK OF FIRST WORLD WAR COMMEMORATION EVENTS

The University of St Andrews is hosting a major series of events to mark the centenary of the First World War as part of the wider commemorations.

The Home Front: The United Kingdom 1914 – 1918 will be held from 18 – 23 June 2018 and features exhibitions, cinema, music and public lectures devoted to the mobilisation of British society as a whole, an achievement that had a major role in winning the war.

Among the highlights of the week is a public talk by award-winning children’s author Sir Michael Morpurgo to an audience of school children followed by a workshop.

A public debate on the topic “What does remembrance mean today?” with host Sir Hew Strachan, Professor of International Relations at St Andrews, Jenny Waldman, Director of 14-18NOW, the First World War Centenary Cultural Programme, and Birdsong author Sebastian Faulks.

Tayside and the Tay Valley in the First World War, a talk delivered by founders of the Great War Dundee commemorative project Dr Billy Kenefick and Dr Derek Patrick, which will cover the impact of World War One on Tayside area and share stories from the area.

An evening at the cinema 1918, a screeningof contemporary First World War factual films from the archives of the Imperial War Museum with a live piano score performed by leading silent film accompanist Stephen Horne.

A unique portrait of the First World War battlefields, Fields of Battle – Lands of Peace 14-18 is a powerful outdoor photographic exhibition, by Michael Sheil.

The full programme and details of how to book are available on our events page and on The Home Front website.

Some events will highlight Fife’s contribution to the war. IWM: (Q 74067)

“The centenary of the First World War has been a massive success, with tremendous public engagement. So far, however, all the commemorative national events have focused on battles. This is a chance to reflect on the sacrifices and efforts made by those who stayed at home.

“The war required the mobilisation of society as a whole, regardless of class, gender or age. The week’s events will highlight what the ‘home front’ – itself a phrase coined during the First World War – achieved in 1914-18, with effects that continue to resonate to this day.”